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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. row — to paddle
  3. capital — money
  4. degree — an amount
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bore — to drill
  7. row — a line
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. degree — from a university
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bore — to tire
  12. degree — temperature
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. capital — a city
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com